


We Got Older, but We’re Still Young

by thegraylady514



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Getting Back Together, HP Pop Punk Fest 2021, Happy Ending, Lie Low At Lupin's (Harry Potter), Light Angst, M/M, Marauders, Post-Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Post-Sirius Black in Azkaban, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 22:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegraylady514/pseuds/thegraylady514
Summary: The worst was over. Sirius goes to lie low at Remus’s cottage after being on the run, but is unsure of himself and their friendship after so much time apart. Remus is determined to bring back the Sirius he once knew and loved. They’re not ready to give up.HP Pop Punk Fest, Day 15 - WildcardThe Best of Me - The Starting Line
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29
Collections: HP Pop Punk Fest 2021





	We Got Older, but We’re Still Young

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve wanted to write a fic for this song for so long, I’m so thankful for this fest for finally getting me to do it! This was a lot of fun, this is one of my favorite songs and it fits Wolfstar so well. You should totally watch the video [here](https://youtu.be/zGG0QYjdgJQ) if you’ve never seen it!

The worst was over.

Sirius's boots hit the cobblestones leading through the back garden and up to the cottage as he apparated. The first thing he noticed was that Remus's garden was overflowing with life; shrubs, and herbs, and vegetables; magical and not. It was exactly how Sirius remembered it when he'd visited the summer before their last year at Hogwarts. When he'd met Hope and Lyall for the first time, when the two boys had spent a week exploring the countryside, when their lives had been happy and full of love for each other.

Now there was a vast chasm between them. Almost fourteen years since they'd spent longer than an hour in a shack in each other's presence. Not to mention everyone they'd lost and how they'd slowly lost each other leading up to the events that shattered both their worlds. The miscommunication, misunderstandings. They were already missing each other before being forced to let go.

Sirius sighed, forcing his legs to move. Making his way up the path, he could see movement from inside, Remus bustling around. Surely he would be as nervous as Sirius felt. Moony had always been the more anxious one of the two of them, Sirius used to be so carefree. But that was just another thing Azkaban had taken from him.

Drawing up to the door, Sirius gave a short, soft knock. The knob turned almost instantly, the door drawing open to reveal Remus's softly smiling, if not a little worried, face.

"Sirius," Remus exclaimed, pulling him quickly inside.

"Sure you're up for taking in a stray, Moony?"

"Only well-behaved ones," he answered, with a familiar twinkle in his eye.

"Well, that counts me out, then."

Remus grinned and pulled him in close for a hug. "I suppose I can make an exception." He held Sirius a moment longer, then murmured into his ear, "I've missed you."

Sirius felt a smile tugging up the corners of his lips as he breathed in the familiar scent of Moony. It was hard to let go, but he pulled back to look Remus in the eye, he said "I missed you too."

Remus looked him over quickly before turning towards the kitchen. "I made a stew for dinner, are you hungry?"

"Starving!"

Remus flashed him a grin, "Perfect. Make yourself comfortable and I'll get you a bowl."

They ate in companionable silence. The stew really was delicious and it occurred to Sirius that it was the first actual meal he'd had in as long as he could remember. The spoon shook in his hand, clattering slightly as he set it in the bowl.

"Are you alright, Pads?" Remus was surveying him from across the table, concerned.

No one had called him by that nickname in so long. It felt like home. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright," he answered, followed by a heavy sigh. "I just haven't lived anywhere close to normal in so long…"

Remus nodded, seeming to understand. "I set up the spare bedroom for you, if that's alright? And you can wash up, if you'd like?"

"That'd be great, Moony."

They cleared the table together when Sirius had had as much stew as he could stomach. Remus led him down the hall to the bathroom, setting him up a towel and running the water. Sirius stepped in, letting the hot water flow over him and taking deep, steadying breaths. He reminded himself he was safe here. Safe from the dementors, safe from the Aurors who were continuously hunting him, safe from the renewed threat of dark magic. He could do this. He could adjust to a somewhat normal life again. One where he could still only leave the house as a dog, but at least it was also one where he could have Remus's mouthwatering beef and potato stew instead of rats in a cave.

Turning off the luxuriously hot water, Sirius stepped out of the shower, dried himself and padded down the hall to the bedroom Remus had set up for him where there was a pair of Remus’s own pyjamas waiting for him. He pulled them on, revelling in the softness, when there was a soft knock at the door. Sirius called for him to come in and Remus slowly opened the door, leaning against the frame; not quite in, not quite out.

“Better?” he asked simply.

“Better,” Sirius confirmed.

Remus smiled. “Hey, I was thinking about going out to the shop tomorrow to get you a few things.” He gestured towards the pile of clothing Sirius had arrived in that now lay abandoned on the floor, and surmised, “I’m guessing these aren’t your preference?”

“I nicked them from a house outside Hogsmeade.” He wrinkled his nose slightly at the baggy jeans and gray athletic t-shirt with striping down the shoulders. They’d been the least offensive pieces of clothing he’d found in that wizard’s closet, not to mention the puka shell necklace Sirius had seen on his bureau. “They don’t really fit.”

“I noticed,” Remus said with a grin. “Alright, do you want to come with me? As Padfoot?”

“Do you think that’s ok?” Sirius asked, unsure. “Dumbledore said-”

Remus eyebrows rose slightly. “Dumbledore isn’t here,” he countered, taking a step into the room towards Sirius, frowning a bit as he gestured around the room. “I don’t plan on keeping you locked up here, Sirius. I think it’d be good for you to get out for a bit. Stretch your legs, you know. There’s a park nearby, we could go for a walk.”

Sirius considered the proposal; he knew Dumbledore wouldn’t approve. He'd been given strict orders to lay low. Sirius was apprehensive, but it struck him that at one time he wouldn’t have given it a second thought. He hated how that had changed. When had Moony ever had to convince him to break the rules?

“That sounds great,” he replied, happy to see the smile return to Remus’s face.

“Great,” Remus repeated. He retreated out the door, pulling the door closed in his wake before replying, “Goodnight, Pads.”

“Night, Moons.”

***

Remus made his way down the hall to his own room, the one that had been his parents’ at one time; Sirius being in his childhood bedroom. They lay on separate beds, only a thin wall dividing them.

Sirius was different. Remus knew he would be, but it was another thing to be confronted directly by it. He was so grateful to have him back, to have Sirius close to him. His familiar voice brought back the memories Remus had buried deep long ago, too painful to think about. He’d seen Sirius face practically every time he’d opened the Prophet over the last couple years, but it hadn’t been his Sirius. Now that he had stood in front of him, Remus couldn’t remember now he had believed the story he was told all those years ago. 

Looking into those careful grey eyes, he could see the difference, the hesitation where there had once been none. That was what broke his heart. Remus made up his mind to bring back that spark. The spark that he’d fallen in love with. He could take care of Sirius like he should have done before he’d had to let go.

The next morning, Remus woke early to prepare a breakfast for the both of them, complete with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fresh blackberries he picked from the garden. He watched Sirius eat with a fond smile on his face. Any small thing he could do to help brought one to his face.

Remus forced another set of borrowed clothing on Sirius before they set off, Sirius as Padfoot, both of them stepping out happily into the sunshine. The village shops weren’t far, just a short walk from Remus’s cottage. As they made their way down the street, Padfoot trotting merrily alongside him, Remus waved in passing to the muggle postman striding towards them.

“New dog?” the postman called out as he drew even with them.

“Yes, in a way,” Remus answered.

The postman nodded, then dug in his pocket, dropping half the post in his hands in the process, and pulled out a dog bone. “Here, try giving him this.”

Remus raised an eyebrow, but accepted the treat anyway and passed it along to Padfoot who took it excitedly.

The postman grinned in response, “Pups like presents. I always keep a few on hand, just in case. You never know when one will want to come after the postman, right?”

Remus chuckled, “Right. Thank you.”

The postman continued along his route with a small wave and Padfoot gave a friendly bark in farewell. They reached the shops soon after, seeking out the small department store that would likely have what they needed. Padfoot looked up at him, cocking his head slightly as they reached the front door, on which was posted a small sign that read ‘No dogs allowed.’

Remus merely shrugged and murmured, “We’ll be quick.”

Padfoot hesitated, but followed him inside. They wound through the racks of clothing to find what they needed, Remus attempting to keep the massive black dog as hidden as possible. He scooped up the essentials, pyjamas, trousers, shirts, pants, all going smoothly until they reached a tiered shelf of t-shirts where Padfoot stopped short all of a sudden, almost sending Remus toppling over him to the floor.

“What are you doing?” Remus hissed, trying to keep his voice low so as not to draw attention to them or be presumed a lunatic questioning a dog’s intentions.

Padfoot turned his head towards him with a look on his face that could only be construed as a grin, then jumped up to prop his front paws up on the third level of the shelf, nuzzling his snout into a very particular t-shirt emblazoned with Queen on the front.

Remus could take a hint. “You want this?” he asked, searching the pile for the right size.

Padfoot let out an excited bark, which maybe he had intended to be quiet, but he was an enormous dog and there was no disguising the booming quality of his bark. Remus hurriedly shushed him, but it was futile. Another patron, thankfully not an employee, shuffled their way, curiously dressed in red and black spandex from head to toe, jauntily offset with an unstylish, but practical fanny pack.

“What’s going on here?” the man asked, suspiciously.

“Oh, just doing some shopping for a friend,” Remus replied quickly, willing his voice to a cheery, inconspicuous tone. He paused, then added, “What are you up to?”

The man’s brow furrowed, dubiously. “I meant with the dog. You can’t just bring your dog along with you everywhere. It’s not allowed.”

“Oh!” Remus exclaimed as though he had just noticed Padfoot next to him. He hadn’t spent seven years at school with the other Marauders without learning how to craft a good cover story.

“He’s the friend I’m shopping for,” he answered simply, as if this was a perfectly normal thing one might do. 

Narrowing his eyes, the man replied, “I don’t like you,” and turned away from them, striding off briskly in the opposite direction.

Padfoot and Remus stared after him for a moment, an identical tilt to both their heads, then came to their senses and headed to the checkout before they managed to gravely offend anyone else.

***

Sirius sat on the floor in Remus’s living room, leafing through the pile of records that sat next to the old record player. The very same one they’d had in their flat together, in fact. It didn’t seem like Remus’s taste in music had changed at all since then either, as the albums were all vaguely familiar to Sirius as well. He paused when he came across Diamond Dogs, giving a heavy sigh, Sirius slid the record out of the sleeve and placed it on the player. As the first few notes of Future Legend filled the air, he couldn’t help but be transported back to the Gryffindor common room where they’d played this album on repeat, dancing wildly and occasionally drunkenly.

Remus appeared in the doorway at the sound, a fond smile on his face. “Do you remember when James broke the table in the common room belting out this album?” he asked.

Sirius let out a soft laugh. “Lucky that Lily was there to catch him,” he replied.

Remus grinned at the memory and came to sit on the floor next to him, amongst the records spread out on the carpet. Looking Sirius over, he asked, “I’m glad we got out for a bit today, what about you?”

It had been a good day. After they’d bought what they needed, Remus had led him to the nearby park where Padfoot had run free through the grassy field, chasing any and all squirrels that dared to come within range. Even their clandestine visit to the shop had been a nice change of pace, reminiscent of all the times they’d sneaked around Hogwarts, more than often getting caught. It felt good to be back on a team with Remus.

“Yeah, it was nice,” Sirius replied, still flipping through the records in place of looking Remus in the eye, who was sitting quite close by the way.

Remus huffed a laugh and raised a challenging eyebrow, “Say it like you mean it.”

Finally looking up at him, Sirius smiled, “I mean it. It was really great, actually. Better than any day I’ve had in a long time.” He met Remus’s eye, adding, “I was with you.”

A faint blush appeared on Remus’s cheeks. He was so ridiculously cute when he looked like that and Sirius remembered how he’d once made it his mission to make Moony blush as often as possible. The person he’d been back then wouldn’t have danced around what he wanted to say. He’d have grabbed Remus by the shoulders and snogged his face off. Like he did that one time when he’d confessed his feelings and Remus reciprocated, then Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders and snogged his face off. Hopefully he could manage a bit more finesse this time.

“Moony,” Sirius started, reaching over to the record player to turn the music down, “tell me what you thought about when I was gone. You were so alone.”

Remus eyebrows rose, then furrowed. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then answered slowly, “I thought about...you. When I could.” He looked down, his fingers fidgeting with the carpet, then up to meet Sirius’s gaze with something that looked a little bit like hope.

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again, not sure what he wanted to say.

“I...I was devastated at first, of course. But I couldn’t really ever believe that it was you, not really,” Remus went on. “I tried to forget, but never could. So I suppose I thought about the best times we had together. Before the war made me fall away from you. Like when you first showed me Padfoot, and when we danced to Rebel Rebel at James’s and Lily’s wedding, and,” he paused, smirking raising a suggestive eyebrow, “when we first moved into our flat and made it our mission to christen every surface in it.”

Sirius chuckled, remembering as a blush traveled across his own face. “Those were the best times.”

“The best of us,” Remus said, smiling. He looked into Sirius’s eyes, he knew they still contained a hint of hesitance. “Say what you’re thinking out loud,” he urged.

Sirius leaned in, looking into hazel eyes, and whispered, “I’m not ready to give up, Moony.”

Sirius reached for his shoulders, hands grazing down his arms and settling to intertwine with Remus's. They inched closer to one another, Sirius pressing his lips to Moony’s, who responded in equal measure. It was familiar, but also felt brand new, like being reminded of something you had long since forgotten.

Remus pulled back after a moment with a soft smile, one that somehow looked identical to the one he'd worn after their very first kiss. They'd gotten older, but were still young.

Then, his hand cupping Sirius's cheek and thumb smoothing over his cheekbone, Moony answered, "We'll never grow out of this feeling."

The worst was over.

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/the-gray-lady)!


End file.
